1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drum washing machine which includes a door which is openable and closable in a vertical direction (herein referred to as a “vertically-openable/closable door” or “door”) and which may be used as a laundry holder in a downwardly opened state.
Further, the present invention relates to a drum washing machine with a basket on a door, in which the laundry may be taken out of the drum washing machine, and then put into the basket while the door of the drum washing machine is opened downwardly, and in which the basket may be separated from the door so as to transfer the laundry.
The present invention also relates to a maintaining apparatus of a drum washing machine having a vertically-openable/closable door, which is capable of maintaining the vertically-openable/closable door in a fully opened or closed state, the door being opened when it moves downwardly and being closed when it moves upwardly.
Also, the present invention further relates to a drum washing machine which may include an automatically vertically-openable/closable door to be usable as a laundry holder in a downwardly opened state, and an electric power supply apparatus for the door of the drum washing machine.
The present invention also relates to a drum washing machine which includes an automatically vertically openable/closable door to be usable as a laundry holder when opened downwardly.
Further, the present invention also relates to a variable support apparatus of a door of a drum washing machine, which supports the door so that the door is usable as a laundry holder when opened downwardly, and which may be varied when an external force of very high strength is applied to the door, thereby providing a stable support structure for the door of the drum washing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1 for example, a related art version of a washing machine 4 is illustrated including a cabinet 2, in which a tub and a drum are installed extending horizontally. An opening 3 is formed at a front wall of the cabinet 2 to communicate with the tub and drum. A door 5 is mounted to the cabinet 2 to open and close the opening 3.
The door 5 is hingably mounted, at one side thereof, to a portion of the cabinet 2 corresponding to one side of the opening 3 by a hinge mechanism 7. A handle (not shown) is provided at the other side portion of the door 5. In accordance with this structure, the door 5 is hingably movable when the user pulls the handle to open the opening 3 or pushes the handle to close the opening 3.
The door 5 includes an annular door rim 5a, and a door window 5b surrounded by the annular door rim 5a. The door window 5b is made of a transparent glass material, and has a convex structure protruding into the interior of the washing machine and coming into contact with a gasket 9 mounted in the cabinet 2.
However, the above-mentioned related art washing machine 4 has a problem in that the door 5 cannot be fully opened where the related art washing machine 4 is installed close to a wall W, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, because the door 5 opens in a horizontal direction corresponding to the side-mounted hinge mechanism 7. When the door 5 is partially opened, the convex door window 5b is positioned toward the opening 3, and there may be an inconvenience because the convex door window 5b may obstruct laundry when the laundry is put into or taken out of the related art washing machine 4 through the opening 3.
After completion of a laundry washing process, the user takes the laundry out of the related art washing machine 4. In the process of taking the laundry out of the related art washing machine 4, however, the user may drop the laundry to the floor because the laundry is entangled. Such a situation occurs frequently. In this case, there is a problem in that the dropped laundry must be washed again.
Also, the user may remove items of laundry, one by one, from the related art washing machine 4, and shake the removed items of laundry to separate foreign matter, for example, lint, which is attached to the laundry. After shaking one item of laundry, the user may put the shaken laundry into a conventional laundry basket (which is typically a separate object with no particular connection to the washing machine 4), and then shake another item of laundry. In this pattern of use, the necessity to use the conventional laundry basket may cause the user inconvenience when taking the laundry out of the related art washing machine 4.
Further, when the laundry is to be taken out of the related art washing machine 4 after the laundry washing process is completed, the user may put some items of laundry into an additional laundry container (such as the conventional laundry basket, not shown), and then take other items of laundry out of the washing machine while the already-removed laundry is stored in the conventional laundry basket, in order to complete the process of taking the laundry out of the related art washing machine 4. Because it is necessary to use the additional laundry container, the user may be inconvenienced when taking the laundry out of the related art washing machine 4.